There Be Dragons

During my brief stay at the Olcott Yacht Club I was given a guided tour of the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Atlantic Ocean by people who have sailed that region. The distances alone were awesome, but the tales of fall weather in Gulf of the St. Lawrence gave me indigestion.

On the strength of their advice, I chose to take the southern route via the Oswego River to the Erie Canal. This bought some time for cruising the north shore of Lake Ontario into the Thousand Islands region. As we had raced past the North Channel and Georgian Bay portions of Lake Huron, I was eager to partake of Lake Ontario's gems.

As if to make the point for prudence, Lake Ontario delivered a roundhouse punch. The forecast, on leaving Olcott bound for Cobourg, Ontario was for 20 kt winds, gusting to 25 kts with seas of 1 - 2 meters. What we experienced was winds of 25 - 30 kts with seas of 2 - 4 meters, breaking.

Breaking waves are what surfers dream about. They are a nightmare for sailors. Waves break when they become steep, a la nearly vertical.

For 8 hours Whisper fought to make headway into these monsters under double reefed mainsail and a fraction of her genoa. Her skipper came to regret the breakfast of greasy eggs and toast as he tried to find safe harbor on the north shore of Lake Ontario deep enough to accomodate Whisper's 6 foot draft.

We have been working east for this entire trip, and every mile made good has been work. It broke my heart to ease sheets and make off for safe harbor in Oshawa, Ontario, losing at least 20 miles of easting.

The weather gods had spoken. Whisper's skipper had hit a wall. Good seamanship and common sense dictated seeking safe shelter.

Oshawa is a tiny, industrial port. But it has deep water and a sheltered anchorage. We were only too glad to drop the hook and wait for a fair chance along.